Stand-Up Paddle Boarding and Sea Kayaking at Laguna Beach

Late August means stand-up paddle boarding and sea kayaking at Laguna Beach.  For our traditional first trip of the fall outdoor season, we took to the waters on a hot 90 degree inland day.  Laguna Beach was mild but balmy, with the morning fog still resting on the water when we set off.  Though it burnt off by afternoon, we had a mostly calm and quiet ride in the morning.  

 Most everyone was paddle-boarding for the first time, but it didn't take them long to get the hang of it.

 Max

 Amara doing her best imitation of the sea lions behind her

 Letitia was set on doing her morning yoga.

 Kevin riding bow in the kayak

 Max and Amara continuing the trend toward mindfulness with some morning meditation.  Kind of.

Amara, Chandler, and Letitia's glamour shot

Paddle Boarding and Sea Kayaking at Laguna Beach

The first outdoor trip of the year met with warm, calm, clear waters at Laguna Beach on Sunday.  Water temps were 72 when we set out, encountering little resistance from wind or waves.  Though both picked up over the course of the two-hour outing, they didn't hamper the superb visibility, which allowed us to see garibaldi floating by eight or nine feet under water.  We passed by seal rock, explored a kelp field, and then headed into town for some grub at BJs. 

 Mairin, the only experienced paddle-boarder among us, easily navigated the calm waters.

 Juliana quickly found her sea legs.

 Julia and Justin led us in their sea kayak.

 Dolly in front of some of the multi-million dollar homes of Laguna Beach

 Seal Rock, which we heard and smelled long before seeing the seals, cormorants, and pelicans on it

 Mairin's first attempt to do a head stand.

 If at first...

Webb's inaugural paddle boarding trip was a resounding success.

Sea Kayaking at Laguna Beach

We took advantage of the heat this past weekend to head for Laguna Beach and some sea kayaking in the cool water.  When we first arrived, we dipped our toes in and vowed not to swim in the frigid water.  But once we got our blood pumping with some paddling, a few of us jumped in the crystal clear water.  The water has benefited in recent years from sea kelp that was originally planted by a teacher.  It has flourished, and in the process, helped to cleanse the water of pollutants.  Kelp is the second fastest growing plant on earth, behind bamboo, and can grow up to two feet per day.  We spent some time visiting the ecosystem created by this kelp, catching a glimpse of shrimp, crabs, snails, and garibaldi.  We also visited the sea lions and cormorants at their usual hangout, and then spent the afternoon replenishing ourselves at BJs. 

Jessie and Melissa

Anni and Ian

Mr. Caldwell and his two daughters

Our whole group by sea lion rock.  You can see the kelp around us.

All ashore!

In an earlier post, I referred to the sense of adventure shown by the sea kayakers when our guide practically dared us to reach shore without his aid. Some context: the sun disappeared right around the time we got in the kayaks, the water was frigid, most of us had gotten soaked heading out, various parts of our bodies were numb, we were shivering, and our guide told us that 80% of people who try to reach shore on their own end up flipping over. He then asked how many of us wanted his help. He was greeted with silence. We were greeted with what you see below. The laughter you hear in the background is...ummm...mine. Disclaimer: I do NOT relish the pain and suffering of high school students. Usually.

Unbounded Bike Trip, Day 1

Webb's inaugural Unbounded Days started with a splash (literally!) today as a group of cyclists capped a 30-mile morning ride with an afternoon sea-kayaking adventure. Though air and water temps were in the 50s, the whole crew had a great time throughout the day, bravely tackling steep hills and raucous waves. The ride wound along 15 miles of coastline, bluffs, flowering vegetation, pastures, cows, herons, and elephant seals to Ragged Point, where we turned around and came back. After lunch with the seals, we took a break and then went kayaking. Getting through the persistent sets of waves into calm water proved to be the most challenging part, and everyone got wet. A few of us even got completely turned over in dramatic, churning crashes, though I won't mention any names. The highlight was a cave we had to enter with perfect timing so the tide would carry us over a rock at the entry way. Once everyone was borderline hypothermic, we headed for shore, whereupon our guide said, "80% of people turn over if they try to go in alone. Who wants me to guide you in?" Not a soul raised their hand. With the exception of Tommy, we lived up (or is it down?) to the statistics. Video of the train wreck to come. I can't imagine having that much fun and feeling that fulfilled while being that cold. Day one: A+.

Tommy

Henry

Ryan

One word describes Marley: moxie

The group at Ragged Point, our turn-around spot

Allen at the top of the climb out of Ragged Point

Chris

Abhi

Devin

We stopped at a seal preserve for lunch, where hundreds of elephant seals gather along the coast in the winter to breed. These pups are the result.

One of the bulls is in the lower right, hogging the good spot. The bulls weigh between 3000 and 5000 pounds.

The trail that wound through the elephant seal preserve was loaded with flowering vegetation. It's the perfect time of year to be here.

Natalee

Drew

Davis

The group getting ready to get soaked.

Henry and Sidney

Natalee, Marley, Davis

Allen and Abhi enter the cave.

Natalee and Marley emerge from the cave.

Tommy, Steve, and Zach head to shore. Of the three of them, only one will not be soaked when he gets out.

Sunset from our hotel

Sea Kayaking at Laguna Beach

Welcome back to the Webb Outdoors! This year's ambitious outdoor program got off to a hot start with a day of sea kayaking at Laguna Beach. We started by paddling out to the islet where dozens of sea lions bask every day. We then raced to a distant buoy, at which point a swim in the ocean seemed like a good way to cool down. On the way back south, we were inspired by some paddle boarders to try standing up in the kayak, which mostly resulted in hilarious falls back into the water. It was the perfect place to be on a 100-degree day. Finally, we ended up in a kelp forest, which has regenerated since a teacher and her students hand-planted it off Laguna Beach about thirteen years ago. Kelp is one of the fastest growing plants on Earth, at about two feet per day. In the kelp forest, we also saw garibaldi swimming below and tiny shrimp floating up into the kayak, both signs of how healthy the water has become. In the end, we headed back to the beach and into town for the now traditional stop at BJs for a pizookie before heading back to Webb.

Juliana and Mairin

Kaitlyn and Lauren. You can see a paddle boarder off in the distance.

Emily and Andrew, with Mr. Ball in the background

Angela and Camille in front of all the sea lions. They can hold their breath for up to 40 minutes. The sea lions, that is -- not Angela and Camille.

Click to enlarge. You can also see pelicans and cormorants on top of the rock.

Xander and Rachel clapped to draw the attention of the sea lions. If we all clapped at the same time, they would put their heads up to see what the commotion was all about.

The group lines up before our race to the buoy.

And then the antics began - Camille and Angela try to stand up in their kayak...

...and failed, much to our delight.

Lauren and Kaitlyn

Mairin and Juliana seemed to have the most success, and even got in a couple paddles.

Mairin also found a crab that our guide was able to catch. It promptly snapped him. I wonder why...

Andrew, Mr. Ball, Lauren, Kaitlyn, Rachel, Emily, Juliana, Mairin, Angela, Camille, Xander, Mr. and Mrs. Potash, before stuffing our bellies at BJs.